After years of captivity in the Holy Land, Templar knight Bascot de Marins escapes with injuries to his body and spirit. He hopes to regain his strength and mend his waning faith on sojourn at Lincoln Castle, until four people are found slain in the town alehouse. But what appears to be the grisly end to a drunken row is in fact a cunning and baffling case of murder, and Bascot once again risks his life for the justice of God's will, tracking his quarry from bawdy-house to baron's keep.

"Fans of quality historical mysteries will be delighted with this debut from [Maureen] Ash, the first in what will hopefully be a long-running series of Templar Knights whodunits.... One of the victims is believed to be the illegitimate son of a local nobleman, suggesting that the murderer's motive may be connected to a large inheritance, which ropes in a number of likely suspects and sets off an absorbing investigation.... Ash's period detail and plotting are first-rate, superior to many other representatives of the rarified subgenre."—Publisher's Weekly